Glucan extracted from yeast cell walls is known to be a potent stimulator of the immune system. Numerous studies have indicated that in vivo administration of glucan significantly modifies host resistance to a wide variety of infectious diseases induced by bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic organisms (DeLuzio, Trends in Pharmacological Science 4:344-347, 1983). Glucan has also been shown to have potent antitumor activity (DeLuzio et al Advances and Experimental Medicine and Biology 21A:269290, 1979).
The mechanism by which glucan exerts its beneficial effects is by interraction with specific glucan receptors located on macrophage cells (Czop, Pathology & Immunipathology Research, 5:286-296, 1986). Langerhans cells are specialized macrophage cells located in the skin which function in an analagous manner as macrophages.
The general method for the production of glucan from yeast involves extraction with alkali followed by extraction with acid (Hassid et al, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 63:295-298, 1941). This method is time consuming, laborious and expensive to execute. It would be of great utility therefore to provide a method for the production of yeast glucan which can be accomplished in a shorter period of time which is inexpensive and easy to execute and which produces a glucan product which is capable of inducing the activities of macrophages and Langerhans cells. Most desirable would be a product capable of inducing Langerhans cell activity upon topical application to the skin.
It would be further desirable if such method produced a substantially protein-free extract of Saccharomyces, or Baker's yeast, exhibiting acceptable color and odor.